Indonesia: May 30, 2001

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Parliament has voted to call for an impeachment vote. The president refuses to resign and the lengthily impeachment process grinds on. The opposition coalition massed against Wahid is an odd pairing of good government groups and followers of the corrupt former dictator Suharto. Supporters of president Wahid tried to storm parliament, but were forced back by police. His successor, former ally Vice President Megawati  Sukarnoputri, will not be much of an improvement. She is generally known as rather dense and incapable of decisive action. Her major source of power is that she is the daughter of Indonesia's firt president, Sukarno.